In recent years, the vast majority of the industrialized world has become accessible via the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Most commonly, this accessibility has been implemented through conventional telephone systems. A conventional telephone system may be considered to be and is hereinafter included in the general category of wire-line systems, that is, telecommunications systems that transmit communications over lines such as copper, cable, and/or fiber optic lines. Thus, a unit that operates in a wire-line system can be referred to as a wire-line unit. For example, corded and cordless telephones are common examples of wire-line units.
Wireless network operators and wire-line affiliates are searching for ways to bundle their wireless and wire-line services under a single pricing plan. One scenario would allow the subscriber to use the same “bucket” of wireless minutes on his/her residential wire-line phone.
The popularity and widespread acceptance of wireless communication systems have brought about the development of systems that work as an adjunct to wireless communication systems and with the PSTN. An example of an adjunct to wireless communication systems is a fixed wireless loop (FWL) system. An FWL system allows a user to effectively convert certain conventional wire-line telephones into extensions of the user's wireless telephone or unit. In particular, the FWL system usually includes a cell phone physically connected to one or more conventional telephones within a discrete location, such as a home or office. The FWL system allows the user to make use of the wireless communications system through the connected conventional telephones. These extensions to the cell phone can provide the user with certain advantages. Yet, these FWL systems do not provide the user with access to the PSTN independently of the wireless communication system. Such lack of direct access to the PSTN can be critical in the event that one of the wireless communication links, from and including the cell phone to the wireless communication system, is not functioning properly.